Today's Provocative Article
Wow! My inbox was filled today with responses to today's article "Purchasing, Social Responsibility, & Animals."
It appears that purchasing professionals have some very strong opinions on the topic. Some felt that this type of article is very much needed. Some felt that it was akin to left-wing activism.
I am encouraging everyone who wrote me to share their thoughts by commenting on this blog. I think that there is a conversation to be had and I think that keeping your thoughts just to me doesn't help advance purchasing as much as it would if it were shared with the community.
Don't worry, you can remain anonymous. But I think that, whatever your opinion, your voice should be heard.
Click the comment link below.
To Your Career,
Charles Dominick, SPSM
President
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM Certification Online At
http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com
posted by Charles Dominick, SPSM @ 10:30 AM
8 comments
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8 Comments:
I am continually impressed by what you do. Thank you for sharing this information and taking a step for social awareness.
cece
BRAVO to cruelty-free supplier restrictions!
I'm never surprized yet always deeply disturbed by disrepectful, selfish individuals who see nothing wrong with cruelty, or appathy towards cruelty in the name of profit, or in the name of anything for that matter.
- Michele Smythe
In my country Nigeria animal purchasing and friendly treatment do not go together. Those engage in the business of transportation and handling of the animals do not care or have feelings for them. Most often the animals are been beaten, tied with rope around thier neck, and legs and dump into the waiting lorry. At the Abutucher, cruel instruments are used in snuffing life out of them. Each moments I wittness this scences my heart bled with compassion and pity for the animals. I once tried to educate them reasons why they should care and treat them friendly before the slaughter, they laughed at me and paid no attention. The governments too, have not done much to create awreness in the communties about safe treatment and handling of animals. I wish I could do more in creating awreness and sensitising people in this regards but Iam constrain due to funds. Thanks I would pass the message across and do my best efforts
James Tivkaa
I know this is long - but there are so many issues involved in this mornings letter...
Thank you for this issue of Purchasing Tips and your interest in socially
responsible purchasing. But please do not be mislead by Ms. Downs of PETA.
PETA has shown itself to be a fanatical organization over the last 20 years,
and will stop at nothing to achieve its own goals. Should we be concerned
with animal welfare? ABSOLUTELY!
But we should not rely on the inaccurate and misleading statements of an
organization that has variously suggested over the years that:
1. Dogs should never be caged
2. All horses should be allowed to be wild and free and never ridden
3. All slaughter should be banned in the U.S.
4. It is OK to destroy someone else's property to emphasize your own
statements and goals.
5. All hunting should be banned.
While it is true that SOME animal transporters in the U.S. and Canada will
mistreat the stock they are hauling, MOST follow humane practices so their
stock gets to the slaughterhouse in good shape. It does not benefit anyone
when the load arrives in poor shape. These are for-profit businesses and
most transporters will treat the animals well to help maximize their own
profit. Yes, many slaughterhouses will slit the animals' throats to kill
them, but that actually is a fairly benign way to put an animal down. I've
been there. I know. And Ms. Downs statement that the animals' throats are
slit then begs the question of how else should the animal be put down.
But please also keep in mind that slaughter is a business, just as
manufacturing is a business or providing Internet service is a business.
All we can do is ask that animal transporters and slaughterhouses (and most
have FDA inspectors on-site) continue to do their best to be humane while
maintaining efficiencies.
Because of the lobbying efforts of organizations such as PETA, two Midwest
slaughterhouses that processed horses for human consumption have been forced
out of that business; one has closed altogether. So now horse owners such
as myself are forced to look for alternatives when it comes time to
euthanize a horse. How do you put it down? Do you bury it? What if you
don't have a place to dispose of the carcass? Do you send the sick, injured
or elderly animal to Mexico or Canada? Are we headed in the same direction
with cows?
Also consider that if we, as consumers, boycott the products that are
produced using American hides and American animal by-products, the American
companies may go out of business or be forced to import their raw materials
from countries that have less regard for animal welfare than we do.
Frankly, while I try to minimize the amount of animal skins I consume, I
really do not want the bulk of those products coming out of Africa and Asia.
I don't know if tanning hides really kills all diseases that can cross from
one species to another.
So, please, when you are preparing to quote statements such as those made by
Ms. Downs, do a little independent research first. I know visiting a
slaughterhouse may not be pleasant and, in fact, it was a very upsetting
experience for me. But it is a fact of our life and the way we live that we
keep pets and livestock, we eat meat (as our ancestors did), we use the
skins (as our ancestors did) and animal transport and slaughterhouses are a
necessary part of our country's fabric.
Very interesting. Congratulation for sending this out, it makes your company better.
Charles,
Great article! Good that you did this. It is another aspect what we should consider when negotiating new agreements.
Thanks
Frank Beuken
Thanks to everyone who has commented so far.
I'm surprised that many of the individuals who sent me vitriolic reactions to the article haven't posted their views here. I've learned that some people REALLY hate PETA.
Look, it doesn't matter if PETA's tactics are overly outrageous or not. It doesn't matter if PETA's views only tell half of the story or the whole story. What can't be denied is that PETA, and other animal rights organizations, are increasingly influential.
The article did not say "stop eating meat" or "stop hunting." What it did say is that executives may force you to adopt more animal-friendly purchasing practices in the future, so be prepared.
Sure, you can be rude to me for merely making the suggestion that animal-friendly purchasing is something to consider. But how would you react if your company's president told you the same thing?
If you feel strongly against animal rights, be prepared - you just may have to put your personal ideals aside when you do business in the future. Please do not allow your disdain for PETA make you miss that educational message.
This is about success in business and in your career. You have the freedom to keep your personal life separate.
Great post!
As a vegan, and as an Operations Manager, I try to not only to work with cruelty free companies, but also try to share ideas on the subject matter. As the trend for "green" purchasing, supply chains, and operations increases, the treatment of animals will inevitably become a focus. I do not support everything PETA does,but I do embrace many of their ideals.
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